Prosecutor Emma Lenanton told the court at Yeovil that the police were driving from Wincanton to Templecombe when they saw the defendant’s vehicle travelling at speed and it then veered towards the nearside kerb.

“They passed the transit van and then heard a loud bang and saw a cloud of dust and the vehicle was struggling to remain on its side of the road,” she said.

“They turned round and found the vehicle stopped outside an address in Tower View and Buchanan-Stone was looking underneath it.

“They could smell alcohol and he admitted he had been drinking and said the van had an under-inflated tyre and damage to the wing after it had hit something solid.”